Krzysztof Glowacki Wins Another Thriller

If the lower weight classes are largely ignored divisions in the United States, cruiser weight is the forgotten division. While it flourishes in Europe, the 200-pound class has generally struggled to generate excitement and gain attention among American fans.

But undefeated WBO champion Krzysztof Glowacki is becoming a must-see fighter in the U.S. boxing scene. Last year, his Round 11, title-winning KO of Marco Huck was a leading candidate for Fight of the Year. His successful defense of Steve Cunningham last weekend in Brooklyn was perhaps a notch below that one on the excitement scale, but it’s still easily on the short-list for Fight of the Year in 2016.

Cunningham is a former cruiserweight champ who was fighting at 200 pounds for the first time since 2012. To watch him in this fight, there was little indication that he is a man who turns 40 in July. He remains a very impressive physical specimen and showed his usual outstanding conditioning and grit. For large sections of the fight, he used his boxing skill and 82″ reach to control the fight and keep Glowacki on the outside.

But just as it was against Huck, the difference in this fight for Glowacki was his ability to remain patient and wait for the chance to deliver the big punch. He dropped Cunningham twice in Round 2 and twice more late in the fight, in Rounds 10 and 12, when Cunningham was forced to open up and fight more aggressively, due to trailing on the cards.

By defeating Huck and Cunningham in back-to-back fights, Glowacki has now defeated two of the top cruiserweights of this century, establishing himself as the new face of the division. He is showing the ability to follow in the foot steps of his countryman Tomasz Adamek, by becoming an attraction in the United States. The Polish boxing fans are some of the best in the world and those living in the United States consistently turn out in big numbers to support their fighters.